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Public Health Issue
1 curie of Radium-226 Discovered in
West Chester Trash Container
Public Health Issue
1 curie of Radium-226 Discovered in
West Chester Trash Container
On January 19, 2012, a load of construction debris set off radiation alarms at Waste Management Inc.'s (WMI) Norristown, PA, transfer station. WMI detained the truck and deployed a health physicist to recover the radioactive material, identified as approximately 1 curie of radium-226. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) health physicists worked with WMI to properly evaluate and store the radium.
The radium-226 was contained in four capsules inside a small lead safe marked "Radium Chemical Co., Inc." The safe and some very old equipment were stored inside a larger, locking metal box, which had been pried open.
The contents of the box appear to have been medical devices used as long ago as the 1920s. The box had been placed in a dumpster being used by construction workers at the Hershey's Mill retirement community in West Chester, PA.
Although the capsules contained in the radium are currently being stored at a licensed facility and present no danger to the public, it is important to learn more about where and for how long this safe and its radioactive contents were kept prior to January 19, 2012.
If you have any information about where this material came from or you have had contact with the box and its radium-226 contents, please let us know! Direct your confidential comments and questions to: David Allard, (717) 787-2480
or email BRP at RA-EPBRPEnvPrt@pa.gov
Public Health Issue flyer, full text (PDF)
News Release: DEP Seeks Information About Antique Medical Kit Containing Radium-226
The radium-226 was contained in four capsules inside a small lead safe marked "Radium Chemical Co., Inc." The safe and some very old equipment were stored inside a larger, locking metal box, which had been pried open.
The contents of the box appear to have been medical devices used as long ago as the 1920s. The box had been placed in a dumpster being used by construction workers at the Hershey's Mill retirement community in West Chester, PA.
Although the capsules contained in the radium are currently being stored at a licensed facility and present no danger to the public, it is important to learn more about where and for how long this safe and its radioactive contents were kept prior to January 19, 2012.
If you have any information about where this material came from or you have had contact with the box and its radium-226 contents, please let us know! Direct your confidential comments and questions to: David Allard, (717) 787-2480
or email BRP at RA-EPBRPEnvPrt@pa.gov
Public Health Issue flyer, full text (PDF) News Release: DEP Seeks Information About Antique Medical Kit Containing Radium-226
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| Lead safe found in West Chester containing radioactive radium-226 material | Metal box containing lead safe found in West Chester containing radioactive radium-226 material |
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| Metal box containing lead safe found in West Chester containing radioactive radium-226 material, with lid closed |
Announcement of Availability of the
Texas Regional Facility for Disposal of Commercial
Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW)
The Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission wishes to inform all Low-Level Radioactive Waste generators that a new LLRW disposal facility began accepting LLRW as of November 2011.
This new facility is located in Andrews County, Texas, and is operated by Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS). LLRW generators located in states not part of the Texas Compact (i.e.,Texas & Vermont) must secure a contract with WCS and abide by the rules and regulations of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission. LLRW generators must file import petitions and receive approval prior to shipment to the Texas Regional Facility.
Generators of LLRW, and in particular those currently storing Class B & C waste, in the states of the Appalachian Compact should consider the availabilty of the Texas Regional Facility in the development of strategies for management and disposal of LLRW.
Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission Chairman's letter to the generators (PDF)
Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission homepage
Texas Regional Facility for Disposal of Commercial
Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW)
The Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission wishes to inform all Low-Level Radioactive Waste generators that a new LLRW disposal facility began accepting LLRW as of November 2011. This new facility is located in Andrews County, Texas, and is operated by Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS). LLRW generators located in states not part of the Texas Compact (i.e.,Texas & Vermont) must secure a contract with WCS and abide by the rules and regulations of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission. LLRW generators must file import petitions and receive approval prior to shipment to the Texas Regional Facility. Generators of LLRW, and in particular those currently storing Class B & C waste, in the states of the Appalachian Compact should consider the availabilty of the Texas Regional Facility in the development of strategies for management and disposal of LLRW. Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission Chairman's letter to the generators (PDF) Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission homepageDEP Issues Final Technical Guidance Document
Addressing Continuing Education
for Medical X-Ray Operators
Medical X-ray Procedures Operator Training Guide (PDF) List of Resources Satisfying Initial and Continuing Education Requirements for Healing-Arts X-ray Operators Involved in High-Risk or Low-Risk Procedures (PDF) Dental Continuing Education Training Resources List (PDF)The Bureau's Mission and Its Divisions
The Bureau's mission is to ensure that public, occupational and environmental exposure to radiation from man-made
and controllable natural sources is As-Low-As-Reasonably-
Achievable (ALARA).
The Bureau oversees the regulation and inspection of users of machine radiation sources throughout the Commonwealth and conducts a comprehensive environmental radiation monitoring program. It also conducts a nuclear safety review and evaluates nuclear power plants and conducts an emergency radiation response program. It administers a statewide radon program and licenses and inspects users of radium and accelerator-produced radioactive material. It also administers a program for siting and regulating any future low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Pennsylvania.
- Bureau Director's Office
- The Director's Office provides general management, personnel and communication services to the Bureau.
- Decommissioning & Environmental Surveillance Division
- The Decommissioning and Environmental Surveillance Division includes the Commonwealth's D&D Quehanna project.
- The Decommissioning Section performs technical reviews of decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities for radioactive materials licensees in accordance with appropriate state and federal criteria.
- The Environmental Surveillance Section monitors the radiological environment around:
- Each of Pennsylvania's five nuclear power facilities and
- Facilities that currently use or have in the past used radioactive materials.
- The Decommissioning and Environmental Surveillance Division includes the Commonwealth's D&D Quehanna project.
- Nuclear Safety Division
- The Nuclear Safety Section conducts a comprehensive nuclear power plant oversight review program at the five nuclear power facilities in Pennsylvania.
- The Radioactive Waste & Emergency Response Section regulates and oversees the activities associated with the siting of a low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal facility in Pennsylvania. It also provides planning and support for Bureau response to accidents or incidents involving radioactive material in Pennsylvania.
- The Nuclear Safety Section conducts a comprehensive nuclear power plant oversight review program at the five nuclear power facilities in Pennsylvania.
- Radiation Control Division
- This Division is made up of two sections and is supported by the Regional Radiation Protection Staff.
- Radioactive Material (RAM) Section — Licenses facilities in Pennsylvania that possess radioactive material. The solid waste radiation monitoring action plan reviews are also performed by this section.
- Accelerator and X-Ray Section — Registers facilities in Pennsylvania that possess x-ray machines; licenses facilities possessing accelerators; and registers radiation-producing machine vendors/service providers. The contracted FDA Mammography inspection program is also under the direction of this section.
- Regional Radiation Protection Staff — Located out of three main offices located in Pittsburgh, Norristown and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that inspect facilities with mammography x-ray machines, RAM, accelerators and/or x-ray machines for compliance and enforcement of the applicable Pennsylvania regulations.
- Information and application forms for the following items are available on the Radiation Control website:
- RAM licensing
- Accelerator licensing
- Computed Tomography (CT) screening
- X-ray machine registration
- Vendor/Service Provider registration
- Mammography (MQSA) inspections
- This Division is made up of two sections and is supported by the Regional Radiation Protection Staff.
- Radon Division
- Learn more about radon from our videos. Topics include:
- Radon health risks,
- Radon testing, and
- Radon mitigation
- Also included is the administration of a certification program for radon testing, mitigation and laboratory analysis, individuals and firms.
- Our website has information about certification, testing and mitigation.
- View our Radon Services Directory to check for a person's certification status.
- Also has links to other radon information.
- Learn more about radon from our videos. Topics include:
- Fact Sheets, Technical Reports & Research Information
- Reports, Fact Sheets and Studies by department personnel and Stakeholder Working Groups such as Potassium Iodide (KI).
- Radiation Answers
- The Health Physics Society (HPS) has introduced a new website, Radiation Answers, http://www.radiationanswers.org, intended as a citizen's guide to radiation. The site seeks to increase understanding of radiation and to allay fears by providing accurate information about its uses and risks. The HPS is a nonprofit professional organization whose mission is promoting excellence in the science and practice or radiation safety.
- BRP Information
- This is the page to visit when you need information on the Bureau as a whole including:
- History of the Bureau,
- Statutes and Regulations,
- Key contacts, and
- Directions to the office
- This is the page to visit when you need information on the Bureau as a whole including:
- Links to Radiation Protection Websites
- Use this page to access other websites that deal with radiation and radiation protection.